The Bridge - Francis C Roles 1901-1982

An extraordinary compilation devoted to the life and thought of Dr. Francis Roles, father of Member the late Dr. Nick Roles and the leading light at Colet House for thirty years. He studied with Ouspensky and met the Shankaracharya of the North, whose Advaita philosophy is the basis of much work at Colet to this day. There is a striking passage where Roles is electrified to hear him say ''the whole thing is that we never remember ourselves', a remark reflecting his previous path. The biographical essay about Roles's life introduces the book and paints a vivid portrait of the man. Some forty essays, poems, pictures and recollections follow, including striking contributions from Paul Robertson and Peter Fenwick. Roles' words shortly before his death are arresting: 'Everything I have had to do, has now been done [how many of us will be able to say that!?]. The need is for simplicity. We have been habitually complicating everything. It is only necessary to be quiet and to keep things simple. There is only one consciousness. The levels are levels of impediment to that (universal) consciousness. Everything is that consciousness. That is what we have to feel and become.